8 Of The Best Places To Eat In Coastal Mississippi

Looking for places to eat in Coastal Mississippi? From breakfast in a greenhouse to blues and BBQ dinners, there are no shortage of great restaurants and these were some of our favorites!

Thanks so much to Sun Country Air and Coastal Mississippi for hosting this fun girl’s weekend!

Places To Eat In Coastal Mississippi

Greenhouse On Porter

Mockingbird Cafe

Coast Roast

Maison De Lu

Dan B’s

Purple Banana

White Pillars

Murky Waters

If you’re looking for places to eat in Coastal Mississippi, the hardest part may just be narrowing down where to go! With 12 cities spanning 62 miles along the Gulf Of Mexico, there are no shortage of amazing restaurants. Culinary influence from around the globe can be found here and they are well known for their seafood and fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

We discovered some fantastic places, from casual joints with live music and blues to fine dining, farm-to-table restaurants. If you want to find the best places to eat in Coastal Mississippi, these are some of our favorites…

Best Places To Eat In Coastal Mississippi

Greenhouse On Porter

However, there’s a reason it’s called The Greenhouse On Porter. After placing your order in the main “house”, head to the greenhouse out back. This is the main dining room.

This was such a fun setting! Since we were two moms enjoying a kid-free weekend getaway, we HAD to start brunch with a couple of cocktails! I’ve never met a mimosa I didn’t like, including this one. Hannah went for a Bloody Mary with all the fixins.

They have biscuit specials daily and if the Smoked Salmon biscuit is available when you’re there, I highly recommend it. Now I know why this place is so popular!

Hannah liked her pimento cheese and tomato sandwich as well. Shhh…don’t tell but I may have swiped a couple of her homemade chips.

While it’s a great place to eat, The Greenhouse On Porter also has monthly art shows, Thursday night yoga, trivia and more. I love that they make it a point to give back to the community…kind of makes their food taste even better! If you’re in the Ocean Springs area, you should definitely check it out.

Mockingbird Cafe

If you’re looking for a little whimsy to go along with your breakfast, head to Mockingbird Cafe in Downtown Bay St. Louis. The motto here is Happiness Is Homemade and their food is made from scratch with lots of love.

This is a relaxing, laid back restaurant with an artsy feel to it. Everywhere you look you’ll find eclectic art by local artists.

I loved wandering around and finding something different around every corner. They had everything from coffee nooks to a bar…this might be a cool place to come for happy hour.

They don’t just serve drinks for happy hour through and we ordered a couple to go with our brunch. I went for the Froze, a tasty combination of rose wine and strawberry lemonade. Hannah tried the Tequila Mockingbird, made with rosemary honey, blood orange juice and tequila. It’s not a bad way to start the day when you’re on vacation!

While I loved the cool decor and vibe of the Mockingbird Cafe, the food was the star of the show. My Prosciutto Toast with egg was breakfast perfection! It might sound simple but it was really good and if I lived closer, I’d be here every weekend.

You can never go wrong with biscuits and gravy when you’re in the south, right? Hannah’s dish was pure comfort food.

While we were there for breakfast, The Mockingbird Cafe is also open for lunch daily. Stop in Thursday-Saturday and you’ll also find them serving pub food until 9PM.

Coast Roast Coffee

Don’t have time to sit down for a full meal? If you’re just looking for a quick bite to eat and a cup of coffee, Coast Roast in Gulfport is your spot.

Like most coffee shops, you have the option to dine in or drive through. While you’re there, you can pick up a bag of their specialty Coast Roast coffee to take home. You can also sign up for one of their coffee subscriptions and have it mailed right to your door.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect the breakfast to taste this good! There are several different breakfasts to choose from in the cooler and they’ll heat them while you enjoy your coffee. I was pleasantly surprised at how good these were. The meat had a spicy fajita taste to it and combined with the eggs, it was really good!

Maison De Lu

When you’re wandering through the shops in Ocean Springs, take a break at Maison De Lu. Inspired by French cuisine, the menu features everything from po-boys to filet mignon.

Goat cheese lovers will want to give the Goat Cheese Torte a try. It’s a delicious combination of goat cheese layered with sun-dried tomatoes and pesto, with homemade pita chips on the side.

If you’re wondering what to drink, all I can say is that Hannah’s Bloody Mary was pretty impressive!

Maison De Lu is open for lunch or dinner and I recommend finding a spot on the patio when the weather is nice.

Dan B’s

On the day we chose to wander through Bay St. Louis, we got stuck in a serious afternoon storm. Dan B’s was right around the corner and looked like just the place to stay dry.

We weren’t quite ready to eat again but couldn’t resist trying the seafood gumbo. After all, Coastal Mississippi is known for their seafood so we knew it had to be good!

When we wrapped up, it was still raining and we weren’t ready to get drenched. It was the perfect excuse to head downstairs and check out the band.

The place was packed and it’s clearly a local favorite. With a lively atmosphere, harbor view and beer flowing, it was easy to see why. It’s definitely someplace I’d love to check out again next time I’m in town.

Purple Banana

Just across from Dan B’s, you’ll find Purple Banana, a small sandwich shop that serves burgers, wraps and gyros.

We weren’t there for lunch though…we were there for the good stuff! Since you can never go wrong with ice cream, I ordered a waffle cone filled with my favorite flavors.

Hannah went with the Beignet Bites, New Orlean’s Style and it was easily enough to share.

When you’re on vacation, there’s no such thing as calories, right?

White Pillars

Since Coastal Mississippi is famous for their seafood, we had to try the seafood at White Pillars in Biloxi. I’ll give you one guess how this restaurant it got it’s name…

Classically trained at the Culinary Institute Of America, the highly acclaimed chef worked with three James Beard award winning chefs before returning home to open a farm to table restaurant of his own. Because all ingredients are sourced locally, the menu changes daily so White Pillars only serves the freshest ingredients.

While there were plenty of tempting choices on the menu, we were there specifically for the Seafood Tower. Filled with two tiers of giant shrimp, oysters and more, you’ll definitely want to find someone to share it with.

In addition to the seafood tower, we also ordered the Heirloom Tomatoes appetizer. This dish amazing! Ripe heirloom tomatoes are topped with compressed melons, country ham, goat cheese and mint & basil aioli.

Everything about this was fresh and full of flavor. I’m not big on melons but they could not have put together a more delicious combination of ingredients! This was one of the best things I had on the entire trip.

We just scratched the surface of the While Pillar menu though. The entrees include everything from Wood Grilled Swordfish to Seared Duck Breast & Crispy Confit. Save room for dessert because there are also some mouthwatering choices on the dessert menu.

Murky Waters

Nothing says you’re in the south like BBQ and Murky Waters has some of the best around! We tried out the Gulfport location in Fishbone Alley, a hip little alley with restaurants, bars and lots of cool murals. They also have locations in Ocean Springs and Hattiesburg.

This is what a BBQ joint should be like. It has a cool, blue-sy (is that a word?) vibe that just makes you want to sit back and order a beer!

Normally I’m a wine girl but wine just didn’t seem right here (though they do serve it). We tried a couple of local craft beers at the bar while we waited for our table.

I don’t eat BBQ a lot but when I do, I always wonder why I don’t eat it more. I definitely felt that way after getting the BBQ plate at Murky Waters. The pork on the Pulled Pork platter was some of the best BBQ I’ve had, especially once I smothered it in sauce (I’m a sucker for sauce). The serving was huge and unless you’re super hungry, this could easily be shared…which leaves you more money for craft beer!

Hannah’s a true southern girl and enjoyed her fried okra. I am not an okra fan but she said it was really good so you’ll have to take her word for it.

The place was packed and everyone was having a great time. It’s definitely the kind of place to chill on a Friday night in Coastal Mississippi!

How To Get To Coastal Mississippi

You totally want to go to Coastal Mississippi now, don’t you? It’s easy if you live in Southwest Florida. Sun Country Airlines now has direct flights from Ft. Myers to Gulfport that take you there in no time flat.

I’m all about the cheap flights and at just $49 each way, I could go every weekend if I wanted. Airfare is always a big issue when I travel with my family of four but with prices this low, it’s a non-issue! Or I can just leave the family behind for another girl’s weekend!

Each seat has a USB port and free entertainment that you can stream right to your device. If you’re tall, or want a little extra leg room, you can upgrade your seat selection to “Better” or “Best” for 2″ to 4″ more space. I’ll take this option any chance I can get. With the best seats, you can also get preferred boarding, seats that recline 150% further and a free cocktail.

This was my first time flying Sun Country Airlines but it won’t be my last!

I have to admit, eating our way through Coastal Mississippi was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to go back and do it again!

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Comments

Murky waters is pretty good but next time your in town try pleasant bbq in Ocean Springs. It’s a small family run place only open for lunch but it’s my favorite (I’m a local!). I love the green house and coast roast coffee both are classics! Also Mary Mahoneys is an old school seafood restaurant that can’t be beat! It’s great for lunch! BBs poboys are my favorite too!

Oh my gosh…everybody RAVED about Mary Mahoney’s. We really wanted to go but just ran out of time. I think I need to plan another trip so that I can eat there and at Pleasant BBQ. Thanks so much for the suggestions 🙂